A woman told police she was tied up, beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted over the course of a night in her apartment, with the attacker threatening to kill her and himself if she tried to leave.
Seth Tyler Sorenson, of Rochester, faces seven charges: 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, terroristic threats, felony domestic assault by strangulation, two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault and threats of violence, according to a complaint filed Friday in Olmsted County District Court.
According to court records, officers met the victim at the Saint Marys Hospital Emergency Department on June 25 after a nurse reported a possible sexual assault. The victim, accompanied by the victim, told a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and police that Sorenson had been abusive before, but the violence escalated the night of June 24 into June 25.
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The victim said Sorenson became angry after she refused sex, accused her of cheating and began beating her. He tied her legs together, told her she was not going anywhere and threatened, “Whether you live or die tonight is up to me.” Sorenson punched her repeatedly, including in the head and ribs and shoved a finger in her eye. He strangled her with one hand until she struggled to breathe and told her, “you’re not unconscious, yet.”
The complaint states Sorenson took the victim’s phone, threatened to kill himself in front of her and handed her a knife, instructing her how to use it on him. The victim used the knife to cut herself free, but Sorenson took it away. She told police she was terrified and believed Sorenson was under the influence of fentanyl. Sorenson eventually passed out, allowing her to escape and seek help.
The victim described being sexually assaulted while her legs were tied and Sorenson was on top of her. She showed officers multiple visible injuries, including red marks, abrasions and bruises and was in pain as her injuries were photographed.
Officers searched the apartment and found a black rope in the master bedroom, brown twine beneath the bed and red rope attached to the bed frame, consistent with the victim’s account of being restrained.
The charges against Sorenson include 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct for penetration involving threats of great bodily harm, kidnapping for confining the victim without consent, terroristic threats for threatening to kill her, felony domestic assault by strangulation, two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault for causing fear and bodily harm and threats of violence.
The complaint does not reference any prior criminal history for Sorenson.
A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s criminal sexual conduct statutes are organized by degree under § 609.342 (first), § 609.343 (second), § 609.344 (third) and § 609.345 (fourth). First-degree convictions carry up to 30 years in prison; the lower degrees carry penalties up to 25, 15 and 10 years respectively. Cases involving minors trigger additional mandatory-minimum provisions and predatory-offender registration under § 243.166.
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Jurisdictional Context
Olmsted County encompasses Rochester and is served by the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office through the Third Judicial District. Felony cases are heard at the Olmsted County Government Center in downtown Rochester.
